Opinion

Coco Lee’s death highlights need to battle enduring stigma surrounding mental health issues

The death of the pop star in Hong Kong, and that of an online influencer in Macau, have sparked discussion of a topic that is usually avoided

The goal should be an environment where these issues can be discussed like any other health concern and where there is greater access to mental health support

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Relatives hold a photo of Coco Lee after her funeral in Hong Kong on August 1. Lee’s death has sparked a renewed focus on mental health in Hong Kong. Photo: AP

John Hanzhang Ye is a PhD student in science and technology history at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities and also holds an MPhil degree in sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Published: 6:15am, 8 Aug 2023

Hong Kong and Macau have been saddened by the recent deaths of pop star Coco Lee and online influencer Jane Lao, the former manager of a popular Macau-based YouTube channel. These tragedies involving women dealing with depression have sparked discussion on how to identify and treat mental health issues, as well as what friends and relatives can do to help.

This might be the only positive outcome of the two deaths. However, we should not forget that there is a large group of people who have long been stigmatised, and that mental health is not just an individual issue but a societal one.

Many studies show the severity of Hongkongers’ mental health struggles. A 2013 study by the Hong Kong Mental Morbidity Survey Team found that 13.3 per cent of local Chinese adults had common mental health disorders. The Hospital Authority reported this year that the number of psychiatric patients diagnosed with depression rose from 56,100 to 66,000 between 2018 and the end of 2022.